Faith • Motherhood • Simplicity

Sweet Victories

What does it mean to be victorious?
To conquer, win, achieve, be the favored one?

When the Lord calls us victorious and more than conquerors, do we believe it? From our hearts? It sickens me how often I feel defeated, and the little things that pull me into the illusion that I’ve lost. Are you with me? How often do we lay out the fleece on the grass with our prayers, like Gideon, and make God prove over and over that He’s for us and not against us? Why do we come to the point of despair?

From feeling tired in the morning, to sluggish in the daytime, or thinking too far ahead or too long about the past, or worrying about someone’s opinion, or thinking about worst case scenarios that haven’t even happened, or dwelling on issues that can only be resolved over time, in God’s will… how often do we allow ourselves to go dumpster diving in the large trash can of discontentment?

Is it not disobedience to let our minds wander off away from the ‘true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy’ thoughts on which we’ve been well-advised to dwell? If I take a fair inventory of my life, it’s safe to say I have experienced God’s goodness and seen His hand protecting me. I think if you do the same, you’ll come to the same conclusion: He is good. We may not always understand what He’s doing, but He does warn us that His ways are higher and His thoughts are higher. He explains to us that it takes a transformed mind and a seeking heart to discern His will, and to grasp its goodness and perfection.

What happens when we are filling our minds with pointless thoughts? And agreeing with the lies of the enemy that we don’t have enough, that we are lacking, that our Shepherd is not good enough? With warped minds we cannot grasp the goodness of the will of God, much less keep ourselves from utter despair. Every little bump on the road becomes a tragedy, a storm, a failure, and a grand injustice… that’s the mark of a selfish mind that can’t wrap around a bigger picture, that ‘it’s not about me’ and ‘it is well with my soul’ and ‘God’s arm is not too short to reach me here.’

Take inventory of the footholds you have given to the enemy. Remove them. Bind your heart and your thoughts to scripture. What you don’t change, you choose. I, for one, am choosing to change the way I’ve been allowing my temporary feelings to influence my eternal perspectives. Maybe this is for you as well, but here’s the word I got:

THIS LIFE IS A VAPOR, SO GET OVER YOURSELF. IT’S TOO SHORT TO WORRY SO MUCH. WATCH YOUR MOUTH AND WATCH YOUR MIND. STOP COMPLAINING. BE SILENT INSTEAD. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IF THINGS GO WELL, SUPER. IF YOU FAIL, I REDEEM YOU, SO SUPER. IF YOU GET HURT OR DIE, I HEAL YOU. I AM ENOUGH FOR YOU. YOU HAVE ALL YOU NEED. I AM ALL YOU GET. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. GET YOUR FILL FROM ME. THERE’S NOTHING ON THIS EARTH THAT WILL SATISFY THAT LITTLE ACHE IN YOUR HEART. THAT’S MY SPOT. DON’T TRY TO PUT A SIGNIFICANT OTHER THERE, BECAUSE THEY’LL FAIL. DON’T PUT A JOB THERE, OR A CHILD, OR STATUS, OR NETFLIX, OR COMFORT FOOD. NOTHING FITS THAT PLACE. THAT DESIRE IS FOR ME. LET ME AT IT. TALK TO THE TEMPORARY LESS THAN YOU TALK TO ME. LOOK AT THE TEMPORARY LESS THAN YOU LOOK AT ME. FLIP YOUR KINGDOMS NOW SO YOU CAN SEE ME. LET’S RECOUNT AND PROPHESY ALL THE SWEET VICTORIES.

When the Lord calls us victorious and more than conquerors, do we believe it?
Let’s believe it.